Washroom arrangement for railroad cars



Ap 1951' M. WATTER WASHROOM ARRANGEMENT FDR RAILROAD CARS Filed July so, 1946 uvwzzvroze 33 Midvlel Waiter.

A TTORNE Y Patented Apr. 10, 1951 WASHROOM ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILROAD CARS Michael Watter, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 30, 1946, Serial No. 687,169

' 4 Claims. 1

The invention relates to railway sleeping cars and more particularly to large capacity passenger cars, such as those of the reclining chair type suitable for day and night travel, and sometimes known as sleeper coaches.

Such cars have seating and sleeping capacity for many more passengers than the ordinary sleeping car, and to properly and comfortably provide suitable accommodations for such a large number of passengers, especially during the periods of congestion in the evening before and in the morning following anight trip, large wash room accommodations are ordinarily provided at each end of the car, these wash rooms having accommodations to simultaneously take care of the Washing and dressing, etc., needs of a number of passengers but insuring little or no privacy in the process. Usually one or two separate toilet rooms are associated with each wash room, these toilet rooms opening out of the main wash room. In such wash rooms there is often an annoying congestion, with passengers getting in each others way, and this, with the almost complete absence of privacy, has made this type of sleeping car or sleeper coach undesirable and therefore avoided, when other accommodations, although usually more expensive, are available, by the modest and shy or the more or less fastidious of the traveling public.

It is an object of the invention to make this type of sleeping car more desirable and available to all classes of the traveling public, and this object is achieved in the main by dividing the space occupied by the main wash room into a plurality of separate individual private washing and dressing compartments, each opening through a doorway having closing means therefor into an anteroom of somewhat larger size than the respective compartments and itself communicating with the aisle by a doorway having suitable closing means. Into this anteroom may open additionally, through doorways and doors, the separate toilet compartments, each containing a toilet or hopper and accessories.

Each of the washing and dressing compartments is large enough to accommodate standing space, a movable stool or chair, a shelf, a dressing table, and ample space is provided on its walls for mirrors, clothes hooks, a small elevated article rack, etc. closed, after a person has entered it, to shut it off from anteroom and the aisle, by a suitable closure means.

Other and further objects and advantages and the means in which they'are attained will be The doorway to each room may be r come apparent from the following detailed description when read in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings, which 'are more or less diagrammatic:

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view showing the invention applied to. one type of reclining chair car; I Figure 2 is an enlarged. fragmentary view of the right-hand end of the car of Figure 1 showing someof the appurtenances with which the various compartments are equipped; and r Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the invention as applied to a modified car structure.

In the drawings, Figure 1, the car body is generally designated by numeral I'll,- its' side walls by numerals II and I2, and its end walls, having a central doorway affording passage from car to car, by numerals l3 and I4. According to this embodiment of the invention, most of the s ace in the car is occupied by a central aisle A flanked by double rows ofadjustable' reclining seats Sand the central aisle communicates with side aisles A at its ends which in turn communicate with the vestibules l5 and IG- at the opposite ends of the car, which in this embodiment 'do not extend across the; car and are open for the entrance and discharge of passengers from one side only. A transverse wall I l'inw'ardly or the end wall and parallel to it closes on the-vestibule pace from the rest of the car. This Wallis'provided witha doorway l8 and door I9, the latter being shown of'the sliding type; and when" opened sliding into a recess- 2i!" formed by the" transverse wall ll and a rounded outer aisle wall Zl' merging with the car side-wall ll. 7

e To provide more space for the wash room accomm'odations, thedoorway I8 in the vestibule transverse wall I! is offset slightly toward the car side Wall-1 If and an induced wan I9 joins the vestibule wall' [I at the inner side of the-end wall. This inclined wau' l9 forms an extension; or the inner aisle wall Zi'lfwhiclii has an inwardly ex: tended ortion 21' terminating in a door jalnbof a doorway22 leading from the aisle into th ash room anteroom, designated 23. Any suitable closure, such as a curtain Z4, normally closes off the anteroomfrom the aisle. The wash room space as a whole is defined by the outsidecar wall l2, the aisle \i all 20,2 landegtemics l9,an d the spaced t'ransvers'e'end walls'jtfandifi.

The space so defined is, accordingto the ini vention, divided into, two'toilet compartments .25 and 2''! and three washing and'dre's'sing compartments 28, 29 and 30, all opening into the anteroom 23 through doorways and closure means therefor. The doors to the toilet rooms may be swinging doors 3| and 32, respectively, while it may suflice for the desired privacy, to provide the doors leading to the washing rooms with curtain closures 33, as shown. Each of the toilet rooms is provided with a hopper 34 and toilet paper holder and obtains daylight from a window extending on both sides of the partition separating them, although obviously separate window openings could be provided. It will be seen that the compartment 26 is generally L-shape with one arm extending transversely and the other generally longitudinally to the doorway opening 3|. The other compartment 21 is generally of rectangular shape with its greatest length longitudinally of the car. The hopper in compartment 26 is arranged against the outside wall I2 and the hopper in compartment 21 against the wall 33 separating the two toilet compartments.

The remainder of the wash room space, excluding the two toilet compartments and the anteroom, is divided by the inwardly extending walls 31, 38, 39 and into the three washing and dressing compartments. The walls 3'! and 38 extend inwardly from the car side wall i2 and approach each other at their inner margins to form the door jambs of the doorway leading to compartment 28. from the car side wall and wall 39 extending inwardly from'the transverse wall 25, the inner portions of which walls 38 and 39 parallel each other and form the passageway 4| leading from the doorway 42, together with adjacent portions of the car side wall l2 and the transverse wall 25, enclose the compartment 29.

Compartment 30 is formed by portions of the aisle and transverse walls 20 and 25, the wall 39 and a wall 40 extending inwardly from the aisle wall. A doorway 43 opens this compartment tothe anteroom.

Each of the'compartments 28, 29 and 39 is of ample size to accommodate one person while washing and dressing and is pro'vided with a wash basin 44, a loose dressing stool 45, a shelf 46, and a dressing table 41. Mirrors (not shown) may be provided on the walls over the wash basin and the dressing table. The upper portions of the compartment walls may be provided with clothes hooks and an article rack (not shown), and suitable lighting facilities would, of course, be provided.

The anteroom also may be used as a washing and dressing room, although not affording the privacy of the other compartments. It is provided with wash basin 44, shelf 46, dressing table 41, etc.. similar to the other compartments, and

in addition may have a fixed seat 46 inthe corner adjacent the doorway 24.

It will be understood that the appointments in the compartments will vary somewhat depending upon the type of service desired, it being understood that the ladies wash room ordinarily arranged at one end of the car is somewhat differently equipped than the mens wash room, at th opposite end.

- The'outer aisle wall, inwardly of the wash room space, is extended inwardly toward the center of the car by a-curved portion 48 spaced from a transversely extending wall 49- at right angles t the car side wall, and these two walls are joinedat their inner ends by alongitudinally extending wall provided with a doorway and door 50, to constitute this space a-porters locker for linen, etc.

Wall 38 extending inwardly In the modification shown in Figure 3 the wash room is shown as applied to a car having a vestibule 5| of the full width of the car, making it possible for the passengers to enter or leave from either side. According to this arrangement, the inner vestibule wall 52 extends the full width of the car between the side walls H and i2 and is provided with the usual central door opening 52', in this case shown provided with a sliding door, movable when open toward the opposite side of the car from that shown in the previously de scribed form.

The wash room space is defined by a transverse wall 53 spaced inwardly of the vestibule wall 52, an aisle wall 54, a second transverse wall 55, and the car side wall [2. The anteroom 56 is disposed centrally of the aisle wall and entered by a central doorway and door 51 from the aisle.

The two toilet compartments 58 and 59 are disposed in adjoining relation adjacent the transverse wall 53 between the aisle and side walls. Entrance is had to them through inclined doorways and doors 68 and El, respectively. The doors may be a single hinged panel, as 60, or a folding hinged panel, as 6!. The hoppers 34 in the respective rooms are arranged, respectively, on the aisle wall 54 and the car or side wall l2.

The washing and dressing rooms 62, B3 and B4 are arranged and equipped similarly to the corresponding rooms 28, 29 and 30 of the form first described, and the anteroom 56 is similarly equipped, except that the dressing table has been omitted. Here again, as in the first form, the space between the curved portions 66 of the outer aisle walls and the associated side and transverse walls, the latter designated, respectively, 61 and 68, could be used as useful storage space, although in this form a separate storage space, such as the porters linen locker, is shown at 69 accessible by a doorway and door 18 from the aisle.

While the invention has been herein described in detail as applied to a specific embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the main features of the invention, and such changes and modifications are intended to be covered in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined toilet and washroom arrangement for sleeping cars, comprising a space adjacent one end of a car enclosed by longitudinally extending car side and aisle walls interconnected by spaced transverse walls, said space being divided by permanent dividing partitions into an anteroom disposed along the aisle wall, occupying but a portion of the length and width of the space between the car side and aisle walls and accessible from the aisle through a doorway in the aisle wall, and further into a plurality of separate enclosed compartments for individual passenger use arranged in the remaining space be tween said anteroom and the car side wall and said transverse walls, each of said compartments opening into said anteroom through a doorway having closure means therefor, certain of said compartments being equipped with facilities for washing and dressing .to the exclusion of toilet facilities and others with toilet facilities to the exclusion of washing and dressing facilities.

2. A combined toilet and washroom arrangement for sleeping cars, comprising a space adjacent one end of a car enclosed by longitudinally extending car side and aisle walls interconnected by spaced transverse walls, said space being divided by fixed dividing walls into an anteroom disposed adjacent the aisle wall, occupying but a portion of the length and width of the space between the car side and aisle Walls and accessible from the aisle through a doorway having closure means therefor, a plurality of separate compartments equipped With washing and dressing facilities to the exclusion of toilet facilities, designed for individual use and arranged in the space between said anteroom and at least one of said transverse Walls and the car side wall, and a plurality of separate enclosed compartments occupying the rest of said space and equipped with toilet facilities to the exclusion of washing and dressing facilities, each of said compartments being directly accessible from the anteroom through a doorway having closure means therefor.

3. In a sleeping car arrangement, a car side wall, a car end wall, a vestibule wall inwardly of said end wall, extending the full width of the car and having a doorway in its central portion, an inner side aisle wall, a transverse wall connecting said side aisle wall to the car side wall, a storage locker disposed in the space between said vestibule wall and said transverse wall and adjacent the car side wall, and a washroom space defined by said car side wall, said aisle wall, said transverse wall and another transverse wall inter connecting the opposite end of said aisle wall and the car side wall and longitudinally spaced from said first-named transverse wall, said space being accessible from the aisle through a doorway in the aisle wall and being divided by permanent partitions into separate enclosed compartments for individual passenger use, one of said compartments being disposed adjacent the aisle and directly accessible therefrom through said doorway, said compartment being of less width and length than said space and serving as an anteroom, the other of said compartments occupying the remainder of said 1 space and some being equipped with washing and dressing facilities to the exclusion of toilet facilities and the remain-- 6 der with toilet facilities to the exclusion of wash ing and dressing facilities, each of said other compartments being directly accessible from said one through a doorway in the partition separating them, said doorway having. closure means therefor.

4. A washroom arrangement for railway cars of the sleeper-coach type, comprising a space adjacent one end of a car enclosed by longitudinally extending car side and aisle walls interconnected by spaced transverse walls, said space being divided by permanent partitions into an anteroom disposed adjacent the aisle wall, occupying but a portion of the length and width of said space between the car side and aisle walls and accessible from the aisle through a doorway having closure means therefor, and into a plurality of separate enclosed compartments for individual MICHAEL WATTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,647,584 Rossman Nov. 1, 1927 1,700,898 Kopf Feb. 5, 1929 2,134,032 Crawford et a1. Oct. 25, 1938 2,340,839 Patton Feb. 1,1914 2,405,136 Dittrich Aug. 6, 1946 OTHER, REFERENCES Railroad Age Gazette, July 16, 1909, page 111. (Copy available in the Patent Office Library.) 

